Global News July 2009
*Kenya to build Africa's biggest windfarm, July 27 The Guardian, July 27, 2009 topic *Wildfires across southern Europe. Wildfires break out across Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Turkey. Over 200 volunteers and 100 firefighters were trying to contain the fires across Turkey, which saw temperatures of 48 °C (118 °F), July 26. July 2009 *Warming climate threatens California fruit and nut production, July 21 UC Davis News, July 21, 2009 *Kenya: Devastating drought worsens human-wildlife conflict, July 20 Global Voices online, July 20, 2009 Kenya is experiencing the worst drought in more than a decade according to the country's meteorological department. This drought has been felt throughout the country, but it is more visible among the Maasai community who's primary source of livelihood is cattle. *Volunteers from Pakistan set new tree planting world record, July 16 United Nations Environment Programme, July 16, 2009 With 541,176 young mangroves trees planted by 300 volunteers from the local fishermen communities just in one day, the total broke the previous 447,874 record held by historical rival India. The mangrove tree planting event was held in the vast wetland ecosystem of the Indus River Delta in the Southern Sindh Province, some 150 km south east from Karachi a unique sanctuary of biodiversity designated in 2002 by the Government of Pakistan as a Ramsar Site (Wetland of International Importance), with support from WWF International Freshwater Programme. topic *Alliance of Small Island States reaffirms its call for short- and medium-term greenhouse gas emissions targets that would limit temperature increases to below 1.5 degrees Celsius, July 10 United Nations, July 10, 2009 topic, place *UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges developed countries in particular to lead by example by making firm commitments to reduce their emissions by 2020 on the order of 25-40 per cent below 1990 levels, July 10 United Nations Environment Programme, July 10, 2009 topic *G8 silent on interim targets for carbon emissions reduction and delivery details, July 9 BBC news, July 9, 2009 topic *Worldwatch Institute launch two-year project to point the world toward innovations in agriculture, supported by a $1.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, July 8 Worldwatch Institute, July 8, 2009 The project will focus specifically on sub-Saharan Africa. Among the many innovations and approaches that Worldwatch plans to examine are :* Adding nitrogen-fixing plants into crop rotations as a low-cost solution for enriching soils and breaking weed and pest cycles; :* Overcoming freshwater shortages with rain harvesting, efficient irrigation, micro dams, and cover cropping; :* Strengthening local breeding capacity, including the use of farmer-run seed banks and genetic markers of important crop traits; :* Tapping international carbon-credit markets to reward farmers for enriching their soils and planting carbon-sequestering tree crops; :* Involving women farmers in decision-making at all levels. topic *Bundanoon takes up exciting community initiative of becoming Australia's First Bottled Water Free Town, July 8 Bundy on Tap, Jluy 8, 2009 topic *Czech Republic: World's first triple hybrid bus, July 6 the reference frame, July 6, 2009 topic References